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Film Review - Eden Lake

Wolfpaw gets comfy with British horror down at Eden Lake...

It is so nice when a film sort of wraps you in a cosy warm blanket and makes you feel all safe and warm, Eden Lake will not do that. Instead it will wrap you in barbed wire and tear your senses to shreds as it drives you into a state of terror and horror.

It is hard to imagine how a peaceful romantic weekend can turn into a brutal, terrifying experience, but it does.

A peaceful time at the lake for a young couple is upset by some local youths who seem to be just out for kicks and to cause trouble, but after several incidents the whole thing turns sour and it becomes a question of survival from some of the most brutal sadistic creatures ever born and none of them probably old enough to vote.

Brilliant casting with Michael Fassbender (300, Prometheus, 12 Years a Slave), John O’Connell (300: Rise of an Empire, This is England), Thomas Turgoose (stunningly good in This Is England) who combined with Kelly Reilly and Tara Ellis make this a truly top class horror.

Eden Lake is an emotional roller coaster that will take you from terror to sorrow then hate to numbness.

Writer and director James Watkins skilfully uses every trick there is to make you uneasy as he has crafted a film that seems too real, you begin to feel that you are actually there, watching every nasty moment. It makes you uncomfortable and that is its success. When the final scenes have played out you will be left drained.

Eden Lake is without doubt the finest British made horror film that has yet been made; it is as uncomfortable to watch as Anti Christ, as disturbing as Let the Right One In and as memorable as Old Boy.